Natural heart valves, such as aortic valves, mitral valves, pulmonary valves, and tricuspid valves, often become damaged by disease in such a manner that they fail to maintain bodily fluid flow in a single direction. A malfunctioning heart valve may be stenotic (i.e., calcification of the valve leaflets) or regurgitant (i.e., heart leaflets are wide open). Maintenance of blood flow in a single direction through the heart valve is important for proper flow, pressure, and perfusion of blood through the body. Hence, a heart valve that does not function properly may noticeably impair the function of the heart. Left untreated, coronary valve disease can lead to death.
Recently, there has been increasing consideration given to the possibility of using, as an alternative to traditional cardiac-valve prostheses, valves designed to be implanted using minimally-invasive surgical techniques or endovascular delivery (so-called “percutaneous valves”). Implantation of a percutaneous valve (or implantation using thoracic-microsurgery techniques) is a far less invasive act than the surgical operation required for implanting traditional cardiac-valve prostheses. Upon implantation of a heart valve prosthesis, it is important to ensure that a blood-tight seal is created between the prosthesis and the valve annulus in order to minimize or eliminate perivalvular leakage.